VOL. XIV. (3) THE COTTESWOLD HILLS 207 
Here I may remark that our local speech and our local 
usage certainly make a distinction between ‘vale’ and 
‘valley,’ which, in literary English, are supposed to be 
synonymous, except that, according to Johnson, ‘vale’ is 
the poetical form. But in Gloucestershire, and in neigh- 
bouring counties, ‘vale’ is used for a broad and extensive 
stretch of low ground—Vale of Gloucester, Vale of Ayles- 
bury, to wit;’ while ‘valley’ indicates a comparatively 
narrow depression, confined by more or less lofty hills— 
for instance, Chelt Valley, which is an offshoot of the Vale 
of Gloucester, or Golden Valley, which is a local depres- 
sion in it, while another Golden Valley is a continuation 
of the Stroud Valley. It may be noted that ‘ vale’ is gener- 
ally connected with a place-name, ‘valley’ with a river- 
name; but I do not know how far this rule holds. 
Then we have another term—a ‘bottom.’ This really 
refers to the low ground of the valley floor, the sides of a 
valley being known as ‘banks.’ But bottom is used to 
signify any depression of a valley-like nature. ‘ The 
Bottom’ is a general term for Cotteswold valleys. So it 
is often a special place-name: Hartley Bottom, Ozleworth 
Bottom, are instances. Then on the Cotteswolds the 
ageraded floor of a dry valley is known as a ‘ flat,’ and 
hence any similar depression comes to be called so; while 
the fields on the sides of a depression may be termed 
‘the flat grounds,’ although they slope considerably. 
‘Combe’ is another term that we employ. Properly it 
is applied only to the narrow head of a valley—“a valley 
with one inlet,’ says the ‘Gloucestershire Glossary’ 
(Robertson’s). It is frequent as a terminal of place-names, 
and as a place-name by itself. 
To obtain the information required to answer the 
questions of the Survey, various works, local and other- 
1 Mr W.G, Hutchison writes that ‘ Vale’ corresponds to Gaelic ‘Strath,’ e.g., 
Strathclyde. 
